The first 4 lines that make your reader say “that's me”

Before you start: gather 3 things (10 minutes)

• 5 to 10 real sentences from your target about their problem, from messages, calls, comments or answers to your stories. Delete first names.
• The precise subject of your content: one idea, one pain, one result. Only one.
• A lived detail that only someone who knows the subject can know. If you don’t have one yet, note it: the assistant will help you look for it.

The 4 beats in brief

1. Understood. You name what the person thinks, in their words. They think “he reads my mind”.
2. Imagine. You describe a concrete scene where the problem no longer exists. A precise detail, not a vague promise.
3. Proof. A real fact: a lived detail, an example, a verifiable result. Never an invented testimonial.
4. Intrigue. A precise promise without giving the method: the person wants what comes next.

Fictional example (to understand the movement): “You post every week, your followers go up, and your calendar stays empty. Imagine Monday morning with three meeting requests already in. (Here, your lived detail: a situation you really observed.) There is one step almost nobody looks at, and I’ll show it to you.” This text is not a model to copy: write your own with your own sentences.

The message to copy

You are going to help me write the first 4 lines of a piece of content in four beats: understood, imagine, proof, intrigue. Talk to me in simple words and go one step at a time.

Rules: invent no testimonial, no figure, no result. Use the exact words of my target. Each line is at most one sentence. If a line needs proof I don't have, write (to be filled in by me) and tell me how to find it. No promise of earnings.

Step 1. Ask me: the format (reel, sales page, email or post), the precise subject, my target, my target's real sentences and a lived detail. If I have no detail, help me find one with 3 questions.

Step 2. Write 3 different versions of the 4 lines:
- line 1 “understood”: what the person thinks, in their words;
- line 2 “imagine”: a concrete scene, a precise detail;
- line 3 “proof”: a real fact taken from what I gave you;
- line 4 “intrigue”: a precise promise without giving the method.

Step 3. For each version, check: does the person recognise themselves from the first line? Is the proof true and precise? Does the intrigue make them want more without exaggerating? Flag the weak points.

Step 4. Ask me which version I prefer, then improve it based on my remarks.

Step 5. Give me the final version adapted to the chosen format (spoken length for a reel, title and subtitle for a page, subject line and first sentence for an email).

How it works

1. Open a new conversation in your assistant and paste the message above.
2. Give the format, the subject, your target’s sentences and your lived detail.
3. Read the three versions out loud, choose, then have it adjusted.

To get the most out of it

• Quote what your target says, not what you would say. “I can’t manage to set my prices” touches more than “pricing difficulties”.
• A lived detail makes the text impossible to contest. It shows you know the situation from the inside.
• Don’t give the whole method in the first lines. The intrigue must leave something to discover.
• Read out loud. If it sounds false spoken, it will sound false written.

Frequently asked questions